Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6

Torso of Buddha, Kingdom of Ayutthaya, '1350-1767', 17th Century

$38,493.97
£28,247.22
€32,000
CA$52,331.67
A$58,618.19
CHF 30,474.95
MX$723,816.76
NOK 388,226.82
SEK 367,008.06
DKK 243,577.53
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

Torso of Buddha Kingdom of Ayutthaya (1350-1767), 17th century. Carved sandstone, height (including base) 64 cm. Provenance: The Sassoon Family Collection, Lausanne, Switzerland; where acquired by the present owner. The attribution is based on similar examples of Ayutthaya scupture. Wonderfully simplistic, the only ornamentation this torso displays are the incised lines to denote the monastic robe draped over one shoulder and a narrow sash ending in a neat pleat. Carved from a single block of buff colored sandstone, this torso would originally have been part of a larger statue. The head, legs and hands would have been carved separately, then joined to form the full figure. Given the placement of the arms, the Buddha was likely seated with legs crossed and hands in Bhumisparsha. It was made in Ayutthaya. From 1350-1767, the city of Ayutthaya served as the second capital of the Kingdom of Siam (modern day Thailand). Of ideal location at the confluence of three rivers, it prospered, becoming a global center for trade between the Eastern and Western hemispheres. In 1767 the city was abandoned after being razed by the Burmese army. It dissolved into ruin and is now an archeological site. Palaces, Buddhist monasteries, temples, prang (or reliquary towers), monumental statues and architectural fragments are all that remain of a once splendid city. A Note on Provenance: The Sassoon family, known as "Rothschilds of the East" due to the great wealth they accumulated, is of Baghdadi Jewish descent and international renown. It was based in Baghdad, Iraq, before moving to Bombay, India and then spreading to China, England, and other countries. It is said that the family descended from the Shoshans, one of the families of the Iberian Peninsula. From the 18th century, the Sassoons were one of the wealthiest families in the world, with a merchant Empire spanning the continent of Asia. Sassoon ben Salih (1750-1830) and his family were the chief treasurers to the pashas of Baghdad and Southern Iraq. His son David (1792-1864) fled from a new and unfriendly wali, going first to the Persian Gulf port of Bushehr in 1828 and then to Bombay, India, in 1832, with his large family. In Bombay, he built the international business called David S. Sassoon, with the policy of staffing it with people brought from Baghdad. They filled the functions of the various branches of his business in India, Burma, Malaya, and East Asia. His business extended to China, where Sassoon House (now the north wing of the Peace Hotel) on the Bund in Shanghai became a noted landmark, and then to England. In each branch, he maintained a rabbi. His wealth and munificence were proverbial; his philanthropy across Asia included the building of schools, orphanages, hospitals, and museums. On his death, tributes to him were made from across the continent by Muslims, Christians, Parsees, Jews, and Hindus. Sassoon's eight sons also branched out in many directions.  Elias Sassoon had established Sassoon Cattaui Investment Holding (later, Providence Group), a privately-owned family hedge fund with Moise Cattaui in 1961 in Switzerland with assets from the Sassoon Family Trust, which had been formed in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1910. It is said that at the time of formation of the Fund, the total value of assets under management in 1961 was £25million. It is rumored that at the time of Elias Sassoon’s death, the Fund, which is not required to file its financials with the SEC had over $100 billion of assets under management, most of which are assets of both the Sassoon and Cattaui families.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 25.2 in (64 cm)Width: 15.75 in (40 cm)Depth: 8.67 in (22 cm)
  • Style:
    Minimalist (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1650
  • Condition:
  • Seller Location:
    Jesteburg, DE
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2547317643162

More From This Seller

View All
Chinese Art Deco Pottery Lamp, circa 1930
Located in Jesteburg, DE
Chinese Art Deco pottery lamp, circa 1930.  
Category

Vintage 1920s Chinese Art Deco Table Lamps

Materials

Terracotta

Minimalistic Walnut 17th century table from the Château de Montredon
Located in Jesteburg, DE
An exceptional large French Château table built in the 17th or early 18th century with an important provenance A beautifully patinated table with great visual impact. Timeless and ...
Category

Antique Late 17th Century French Baroque Dining Room Tables

Materials

Walnut

Pair of HAN Style Lamps with Belgian Linen Shades
Located in Jesteburg, DE
A beautiful pair of unglazed Han dynasty style vases of a very elegant form. Expectedly mounted as lamp - US WIRED. High quality mount with a brass adjustable pivot joint. The vase ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Han Table Lamps

Materials

Pottery

Single HAN Style Lamp with Belgian Linen Shade
Located in Jesteburg, DE
A beautiful unglazed Han dynasty style vase of a very elegant form. Expectedly mounted as lamp - US WIRED. High quality mount with a brass adjustable pivot joint. The vase is from Z...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Han Table Lamps

Materials

Pottery

Single HAN Style Lamp with Belgian Linen Shade
Located in Jesteburg, DE
A beautiful unglazed Han dynasty style vase of a very elegant form. Expectedly mounted as lamp - US WIRED. High quality mount with a brass adjustable pivot joint. The vase is from Z...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Han Table Lamps

Materials

Pottery

Single HAN Style Lamp with Belgian Linen Shade
Located in Jesteburg, DE
A beautiful unglazed Han dynasty style vase of a very elegant form. Expectedly mounted as lamp - US WIRED. High quality mount with a brass adjustable pivot joint. The vase is from Z...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Han Table Lamps

Materials

Pottery

You May Also Like

16th Century Thai Ayutthaya Sandstone Torso of the Buddha
Located in Austin, TX
A lovely carved sandstone torso of the Buddha, Ayutthaya period (1350-1767), Thailand. Wonderfully simplistic, the only ornamentation this torso displays...
Category

Antique 16th Century Thai Sculptures

Materials

Sandstone

Limestone Tang Dynasty Torso Of Buddha
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Magnificent Limestone Torso of Buddha With arms slightly angled, the figure is wearing a long robe falling in loose elegant pleats over the torso, with the left arm raised, and the o...
Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier Chinese Sculptures and Carvings

Materials

Limestone

A Stucco Torso of the Buddha, Gandhara, 4th-5th Century
Located in Dallas, TX
PRESENTING a STUNNING piece of Indian Antiquity from circa the 4th-5th Century, namely, A Stucco Torso of the Buddha, Gandhara. Ancient Gandhara is located in the rugged foothills of the Himalayas in what is today northwest Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan, was for centuries a thriving center of trade along the Silk Road linking China, South Asia, and the Mediterranean. The piece was purchased by a Private Collector at Sotheby’s, or more probably, Christies of New York Auction pre-2000. The paper label on the wooden base is “7281/465” for Sale Number 7281, Lot No. 465. Sotheby’s and Christies operate a twice yearly auction of Southeast Asian Art & Antiquities in New York in the months of March and September. The Sale Number is more like a ‘Christies;’ Sale Number but we cannot locate any records for this sale online as it was pre-2004. The sculpture is a Gandharan stucco headless bust...
Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier Afghan Medieval Antiquities

Materials

Stucco

13th/early 14th C' Sukothai Walking Buddha, 8993
Located in Ukiah, CA
All time favorite, and the first Buddha I have not wanted to post for sale in many years, as my heart melted the first time I laid eyes on him and I wanted to claim him for my own. He is the best of Thai sculpture- EARLY (13th/early 14th C) Sukothai Walking Buddha...
Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier Thai Antiquities

Materials

Bronze

Gupta Empire Torso of Vishnu
Located in Chicago, IL
A mesmerizing Gupta Empire (mid-3rd century BCE - 543 AD) mounted terracotta torso of a standing Vishnu. Vishnu is the preserver god, which means he p...
Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier Bangladeshi Hellenistic Sculptures and ...

Materials

Terracotta

13thC Northern Thai Haripunchai Terracotta Standing Buddha-Rare - 7762
Located in Ukiah, CA
Rare 13thC Northern Thai Haripunchai terracotta standing Buddha. Extremely hard to find in complete condition. Significant wear, though the expressiv...
Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier Thai Antiquities

Materials

Terracotta